


Secrets Kept

by Spidey_Sins



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Angst, Blackmail, Break Up, Cheating, Established Relationship, Eventual Happy Ending, Getting Back Together, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Infidelity, It’s Skip what do you expect, M/M, Rape/Non-con Elements, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:21:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28192377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spidey_Sins/pseuds/Spidey_Sins
Summary: He could have sworn that his heart nearly stopped as he caught the sight of white blond hair tucked under a cap.No. No no no.The man turned around, grinning when he saw Peter. “Hey, Einstein. It’s been a while.”
Relationships: May Parker (Spider-Man) & Peter Parker, Peter Parker/Skip Westcott, Peter Parker/Tony Stark
Comments: 28
Kudos: 157





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I’m not strictly following canon here, I’m going with that Skip messed with Peter all while he was growing up and Peter never told anyone. That being said, this is a dark fic. I hope everyone that wants to enjoys 💕
> 
> Ps I have a couple other fics to be posted on ao3 eventually but my life is kinda all over the place at the moment so it might take a little bit. But they’ll be up soon! And part 2 (or more) to this fic will be posted soon!

Peter hadn’t really thought through going alone after he got a message about meeting someone at the lobby.

But he instantly wished he had brought Tony with him.

He could have sworn that his heart nearly stopped as he caught the sight of white blond hair tucked under a cap.

No. No no no.

The man turned around, grinning when he saw Peter. “Hey, Einstein. It’s been a while.”

“Skip,” Peter whispered. “Please, leave me alone.”

He knew that wouldn’t happen. The other man had clearly come on a mission. He wouldn’t have randomly showed back up in his life otherwise. Everything he did was calculated. In his own sick way.

Skip laughed, pulling an envelope out. “I think you’ll want to see what I have to offer first. Have anywhere more...secure that we could go?”

The younger man stared at the envelope, stomach turning. “Y-yeah. Just...follow me....”

He walked to the elevator, heart racing in his chest. He was in trouble. And he couldn’t even get Tony for help. There was no way that Tony could know anything about Skip. And what he’d done.

“Glad to know you know what’s good for you,” Skip murmured. “Smart boy. You always were the smartest person I’d ever met. Well- except for how naive you were.” He grinned.

“Shut up.” But there was no venom to it. Peter just sounded sad.

“Uh huh.”

The elevator dinged as the doors slid open, opening to Peter’s personal lab. The younger man walked out, hands shaking slightly as he moved to sit down. “What do you want, Skip?”

The man chuckled, opening the envelope and spreading photos across the table.

Peter’s stomach dropped.

The pictures all had Peter at various ages, doing various sexual acts with the older man. A few even had his face. No denying they were him.

“Now,” Skip started. “It would be a shame if daddy Stark saw these, huh?” He affectionately picked up one picture, showing it to the younger man. “Remember this?”

Peter looked at the picture, cheeks burning. “Yeah,” he whispered. It was one of the few pictures that showed his face. His cheeks and mouth were splattered with cum and he had clearly been crying. He had probably been sixteen at the time.

Skip chuckled. “I’ve missed that. I’ve missed my pretty Einstein. And you look just like you did in that picture,” he mused.

A nervous feeling began knotting up in Peter’s stomach. He had a feeling that he wasn’t going to like what Skip said next. Not that he liked any of it in the first place.

“So here’s my proposition,” he told him, setting the photo down. “You’re mine. I get what I want from you. Just like old times. And in exchange, no one will see these. Especially not Stark.”

Peter’s eyes squeezed shut and a tear slid down his cheek. He didn’t want to agree. He didn’t want to even entertain the thought of agreeing to such a sick thing. But he knew that he didn’t have a choice. “Okay,” he whispered. “Deal. Just please, he can’t see those.”

Skip smirked, tucking every photo back into the envelope before tucking it back into his jacket.

Well, almost every one. He snuck one into Peter’s pocket.

“Now that we have our deal, what better time than now to start?”

The younger man whined in protest, but the glint in Skip’s eyes made him know that there wasn’t a choice. There wasn’t ever a choice for him. So he slowly got down onto his knees, staring up at the blond as he unzipped his jeans.

Hopefully it wouldn’t take too long.

———

Peter had never been so glad that Tony had a meeting. That just meant that he didn’t have to come up with a story about why he had been crying or why his kisses definitely tasted like someone else’s dick.

He immediately went to the bathroom and threw up. Then he brushed his teeth to try and get the foul taste of Skip out of his mouth. But no matter how much scrubbing he did, he still felt dirty. Used.

He hadn’t missed the feeling.

By the time Tony got home he was all cleaned up and fixing dinner in order to distract himself.

“Hey, honey,” his boyfriend murmured, wrapping his arms around him from behind. “What’s for dinner?”

Peter tensed but quickly relaxed. It wasn’t Skip. It was Tony. He was safe and okay. “Making chi-chicken Parmesan. Wanted to try something different.”

“It smells amazing. You’re perfect.”

“Thank you, Tony.”

Peter felt so awful about what he did. He couldn’t believe that he had agreed to any of it. But he didn’t really have a choice.

So he just had to act like nothing was wrong. Tony couldn’t know about Skip.

They went to bed that night and Peter was pretty sure he had never felt so guilty.

———

Skip was relentless. He pulled Peter from spending time with Tony to make him send explicit pictures or videos, made him lie to Tony about buying things when really the money was going to Skip, made him meet up places whenever he wanted for sex.

Peter was being worn down so fast.

He couldn’t even keep up his normal and relaxed front with Tony. He couldn’t.

And his boyfriend definitely started noticing. He saw how tired Peter was all the time. And how often he disappeared with nothing but a weak lie to explain it.

That wasn’t how a relationship was supposed to work. And something was obviously up.

So he knew that he had to confront him about it.

He waited until Peter got home from his latest...well, wherever he went. The younger man came back a mess, a bruise on his cheek, eyes red, lips swollen, walking with a slight limp. The last two bits were honestly the most concerning.

“Peter?” He called gently. “What’s up? Where were you?”

He didn’t really want to know the answer. But he knew that he wouldn’t get the truth. So it didn’t matter to ask.

“Oh- I just had to do a quick. Patrol thing,” Peter lied, gingerly touching the bruising on his cheek. “You know how rough those bad guys can get.”

“Who was it this time?” He knew that Peter wouldn’t have a full story. Questions were key.

Peter bit the inside of his cheek. “No one important. Just some asshole burglar.”

“That managed to bruise you? And do...I don’t know, you look rough.”

The younger man winced. Great, that was exactly what he wanted to hear. He was hoping that he didn’t look too bad. Apparently that was too much to want. “Yeah, I was just off my game. It’s okay, though. I’ll heal.”

“Right....” Tony sighed. He had no idea how to bring it up. How to confront. This was his Peter, after all. He wanted to believe that he wouldn’t do anything to hurt him. “Peter, you wouldn’t lie to me, right?”

Peter froze in his tracks, tensed up instantly.

Great.

“No. Tony, why would I lie to you? I love you.”

The older man raked a hand through his hair, sighing softly. “I just- you’ve been so distant lately. Obviously something is going on. I just need you to tell me what.”

Peter slowly took off his coat, not noticing the photo that fell out of the pocket.

He had never realized that Skip put the picture there. The one with his face. The one where he commented how Peter still looked the same.

Peter didn’t notice that the picture was there until Tony started reaching for it. And he immediately knew what it was.

“And-“ Tony’s eyes followed to where the picture had fallen to the ground. He picked it up, ignoring Peter’s cries of protest.

It was definitely Peter. Face covered in cum. And it seemed to be recent.

Tony felt his heart being crushed as he stared at the picture. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Peter would never cheat on him. Peter loved him.

But there was the proof that said otherwise.

He finally looked to his boyfriend again, expression unable to hide his pure disbelief.

Peter had his arms wrapped tightly around himself and he was trembling furiously. He hadn’t known the picture was in his pocket. But he couldn’t tell Tony anything about it. He was stuck.

“Is this where you’ve been?” Tony asked, voice quiet. “Been fucking around? Peter-“ he pinched the bridge of his nose. “Peter, what the fuck has gotten into you? I can’t believe you.”

“Tony-“

“No. No, don’t do that. Did you cheat on me? It’s a yes or no question. I only want one word from you. Yes. Or. No?”

Peter broke down, crying harder. There was only one way that he could answer. Because it was the truth and he couldn’t lie to Tony. Even though all he had been doing for weeks had been lying. “Yes,” he choked out, covering his face.

Tony tried to ignore the broken glass he felt that replaced his heart. All his fears came true. Peter had really cheated on him. “Get out.”

“Tony- I can’t-“

“I said get out. You can get your shit in the morning while I’m at work. For tonight you need to leave.”

The younger man sobbed, grabbing his coat and looking around. Was there anything else he needed for the night? He didn’t know. All he could think about was Tony. And that everything was over.

All because of Skip.

He showed up to May’s an hour later, still unable to stop his crying. He was a wreck and he knew it.

She wasn’t sure what happened but knew better than to try to ask. But she did call Tony and leave a particularly nasty message about how she knew she never liked him and he had better watch his back.

Peter got settled in his own room, all curled up and finally calming down. When his phone vibrated with a text.

‘I need a couple pictures. A little inspiration please.’

Then a second message less than a minute later. ‘Actually make it a video.’

Peter stared at the screen for a moment, trying to fight off the tears that threatened to spill again. He couldn’t send Skip anything. He was with May. He couldn’t just hole himself up in the room suddenly. And there was the fact that the walls were so thin.

‘I can’t,’ Peter sent back, holding his breath. Skip didn’t respond well to rejection.

The three dots that signaled he was typing appeared and disappeared a couple of times before anything finally came through. ‘I have digitals of the pictures. I can easily send them with just a couple clicks.’

Even if they were broken up, Peter couldn’t have Tony know what all had happened to him. What was still going on. ‘Fine.’

He sat up to make sure that his door was locked, hands trembling as he started to undress himself after setting his phone up to record.

He so badly just wanted to be free.

———

Peter didn’t see Tony for a month after they broke up.

When he went to get his things Tony had been at work, as he said he would be. And he hadn’t been back to the tower since then. And he did his best to avoid any news about the billionaire.

So he stayed in the dark about it all. He barely even left the house. Except when Skip needed him for something.

Skip wasn’t happy when he found out. He was worried that the lack of contact with Stark would make Peter cave and refuse to do anything else. Plus he wouldn’t be able to get money any more from th arrangement.

But it became apparent quickly that Peter still loved Tony. And would continue to do whatever Skip asked to keep the pictures from making light.

Good.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter is stuck, Skip sucks, and Tony has a talk with May

A bitter taste flooded Tony’s mouth as he saw the headline. 

‘Stark’s Ex Moved On.’ The heartless caption was paired with a picture. A picture of his Peter with some blond asshole with his arm around Peter’s waist. Definitely cozy. Couldn’t have been the first time they’d done this. 

Tony couldn’t help but wonder if it was the same guy that Peter cheated with. 

The thought was painful and unwanted, but it stuck in his mind like it was pinned there. It circulated through, latching onto his insecurities and hurt as it went. 

He shook his head like that would help it leave. It didn’t. 

He sighed softly, looking over the picture one more time like the masochist that he was. Yep. It was still there. Peter was definitely cuddled up to that guy. 

Well, good for him.   
———  
“Come on, I’d rather just stay here,” Peter argued, gently cleaning himself up so that he didn’t have to look at Skip as he talked. “I’m perfectly okay here with May.”

The blond sighed, shaking his head. “Maybe you think you’d rather stay here, but we always have to be so careful here. I’d be able to be gentler and slower and all that if we didn’t always have to rush like we do here.” He quickly got dressed, leaving silence for Peter to think about his proposal. 

It wasn’t really true and he knew it, but he didn’t feel like taking Peter kicking and screaming. He could at least try to convince the man to come willingly. 

Peter paused, thinking through it as he gently pulled his clothes back on once he was clean. Maybe that wouldn’t be so bad. Sure, he didn’t really want to live with his abuser. But maybe he’d end up with less bruising and overall pain if they didn’t have to be so quick when they got together. 

He couldn’t believe that he was actually considering it. 

Skip sensed the younger man’s indecision and grinned to himself. “I know, Einstein. Doesn’t that sound better? Going slower, not having to rush things?” He slid his hands over the man’s arms, ignoring the way he shuddered. “Plus we could really be together. Have the whole boyfriend experience.”

It felt like ice water had been dumped through Peter’s veins. “You are not my boyfriend. We’re not together.” He was only Tony’s. He was supposed to be Tony’s forever. He didn’t want anyone else. But especially not Skip. 

“Right.” He huffed softly. He gripped Peter’s arms gently, but enough to get the point across. “But I say we are. The tabloids say we are.” Possessive kisses trailed down the younger man’s neck. “And we’ve already determined that you go along with what I say.”

It wasn’t true. At least...Peter didn’t want for it to be true. He didn’t want to go along with anything Skip wanted. 

A hard bite to his neck caused him to whimper when he didn’t answer. Skip didn’t like when he didn’t answer. “I know,” he whispered. He hoped that was answer enough. 

When he didn’t feel teeth sinking into his flesh again he figured his answer was acceptable. 

But then he felt greedy hands pushing up his shirt and feeling over every individual muscle they could find. He’d thought their last round would be the last for the day. But apparently Skip had other plans and was already ready to go again. 

Nausea clawed at Peter’s throat but he did nothing to stop the other man, standing still and not helping or stopping in any way. He just wanted it over with. At least it never lasted long. 

But suddenly the hands stopped and all weight pulled away from his body. 

“I’ll help you start packing,” Skip told him. It was clear that there was no room for argument. Peter was moving again and that was that. He got no say. 

“I don’t have any boxes,” he said weakly. 

“Then we’ll only take what you need. A bag of clothes, toothbrush, phone charger. Whatever.” The older man waved a hand, effectively brushing him off. 

Peter’s stomach clenched. He didn’t want to go with Skip. Everything else was bad enough. But at least he had his own bed to sleep in at night. And he had things around that reminded him of Tony. 

He wouldn’t get either of those things anymore. 

As he carried his too-small bag of things out to Skip’s car, tears streamed down his face and he had to stop halfway to try and breathe through his choked sobs. He didn’t want to go. Terror shredded his heart as he thought about how much worse things could be if Skip had constant access to him. 

The older man gripped his arm when he stopped, yanking him close. “You’re causing a scene,” he hissed. “If anyone saw you, they’d call the cops. And you know what’ll happen if that goes down.”

Peter didn’t want to care. He wanted to just say fuck it and let Tony see the pictures. Hell, let the whole world see the pictures. He didn’t want to care. 

But he didn’t want anyone to know how he’d been used. How much he’d been through. How disgusting and dirty he was. Tony wouldn’t want him if he knew. No one would want him if they found out. 

So he couldn’t fight. 

He put his bag in the car and then went back to May’s to leave a note. 

He wanted to beg for help. To tell her where he’d be and to call the police. 

But Skip was over his shoulder, watching every word he wrote. So he couldn’t do anything. 

He left a simple note. Nothing that would cause his aunt to worry. He’d caused her enough stress during his life and he didn’t want to add any to it. 

‘Hey, May. Going to live with Skip for a while. I’ll be sure to visit. I love you.’

His hands shook as he set the note down, vision blurring as his eyes filled with tears again.   
————  
The last person that May expected to have knocking at her door was Tony Stark. 

Well, maybe not the last person. But he was up there. 

Her jaw set as soon as she saw him, instantly moving to close the door again. “You’re not welcome here, Stark.”

“I know you don’t like me. I know. And I know I fucked up. But I have to see him, Mrs. Parker. Please.” 

The desperation in his voice was something she’d never heard from the man. This was far from the confident, cocky person she usually saw. This man sounded every bit of heartbroken that Peter did. 

Although Peter seemed to have moved on a lot quicker. 

She sighed as she opened the door, arms crossed. “He isn’t here. So unless you have another reason you’re here, you should be on your way.”

Tony had never been someone she completely approved of. She didn’t believe that he’d changed all that much from being a playboy. But he’d made Peter happy so she tried to push down any bias. 

Once he’d broken her nephew’s heart, however, she was okay with being harsher towards him. But the man she was seeing wasn’t the man she disapproved of. So she didn’t know exactly how to react. 

Tony’s face fell as she told him that Peter wasn’t there. He’d expected a reunion, a conversation, maybe even Peter coming home.“When will he be back? I can wait.”

“He doesn’t live here anymore.” She sniffed, obviously disapproving of the situation. “Moved in with his new boyfriend a few days ago. No warning, nothing. Just gone.” 

“He doesn’t...he doesn’t live here?” It had taken Peter months to be convinced to move in with Tony. Just how long had he known this other guy that he was willing to go so quick? 

May shook her head. “That’s what I said. He’s gone. Hasn’t even visited yet. Called yesterday but not for long.” She shook her head. “Don’t know what’s gotten into him. I thought he’d finished with the rebellion shit when he finally told me about Spider-Man. But no, had to get with you, had to find this new-“ she cut herself off, sighing. 

“You don’t like the new guy?” Tony asked. “Is he the one in the pictures?” 

“The pictures...Stark, don’t tell me you’ve been looking at tabloids. You have to be above that. You’ve been in the spotlight how long?”

Tony didn’t look at her. “I haven’t talked to him, I couldn’t help it. It’s all I’ve seen of him in...too long. But you didn’t answer the first question.”

May snorted. “You should just come in and sit down. You look weird just standing in the hallway.”

She ushered him in, sitting on the couch and tucking her legs up beside her as she sat. 

Tony sat across from her, fingers feeling at the worn fabric of the couch. 

Sitting in May Parker’s apartment felt like home in a way that he couldn’t describe. Because it wasn’t like he’d ever lived anywhere like it.

Maybe it was just because it was where Peter came from. And wherever Peter was was home. 

The man had broken his heart. Cheated on Tony for god knows how long and admitted to it. But he was still everything to the man. And he couldn’t help but feel like there was still something he didn’t know. Because Peter wouldn’t just do that.

May started speaking again, pulling Tony from his spiraling thoughts. “To answer your question, no. I don’t like him. He just...god, don’t tell Peter I said this, but honestly he creeps me out.”

“Really? How?” Tony asked curiously, looking at her. 

“I don’t know. I can’t explain it. He’s just weird, constantly watching Peter. It feels like everything he does or says is fake, but he’s a really bad actor. Maybe he just has a weird personality, but I don’t know. He just gives me the creeps.” May shrugged. “But Peter likes him so there’s not much I can do.”

“I guess so,” the man mumbled.

“I didn’t think it would hit you this hard,” May told him. “Since you were the one that kicked him out and all.”

Tony winced. “Of course it hit me hard. Do you even know what happened?” He didn’t mean to snap, but he didn’t like her acting like he was the one that had done wrong. He regretted making Peter leave but obviously it didn’t hurt the other man too much. 

The woman stared at him. “Don’t you snap at me. And no, I don’t. All I know is that my nephew came home crying so hard he couldn’t breathe and told me that you had kicked him out and said it was over. I didn’t ask for more because he didn’t give me more. I have the information that matters.”

“No, you don’t.” 

Is this really what Tony wanted to do? Ruin Peter’s image to his last living family? 

He hated how she was treating him. He hated how she thought that he was the one that had broken Peter’s heart. When Peter was the one who’d fucked everything up. 

But he couldn’t do something like that. He couldn’t taint the way that she looked at him. Every time he saw them together she looked at him with such pride. He couldn’t ruin that, even with the truth. 

“Then what is so important that you have to yell at me for?” She crossed her arms. 

Tony sighed, posture wilting. “Nothing. Just- yeah. Nothing. It doesn’t matter. Maybe you can ask him when you next talk to him. But I’m not- no. I’m not getting involved. That can be between you and him.” 

May watched him closely. She wanted to be angry at how he snapped at her. But he looked so broken that she just couldn’t. Instead she held her arms out. “Don’t make this weird. But you really look like you need a hug. So just...come here.” 

He almost didn’t. It would have been so odd, hugging his ex boyfriend’s aunt who was easily five years younger than he was. 

But it had been too long since someone had looked at him like that. And it had been too long since someone maternal had offered such a thing to him. 

So he moved to the couch she was on, letting himself be wrapped in her arms. 

She held onto him gently, rubbing his back. 

It shocked her when she felt a tear fall onto her shoulder. But she just held him closer. He clearly needed it. 

He shook with sobs before long, unable to stop it. The last month without Peter had been so hard and it all hit him at once. 

May didn’t comment, just keeping her arms around him and doing her absolute best to soothe the man. 

Maybe she didn’t like him all that much. But clearly something in him had changed. 

She wasn’t sure she wanted to know what Peter had done to have that effect on him.   
————  
Peter curled in on himself, trying to make himself as small as possible. Maybe if he got small enough he would disappear. 

Fingers pinched the already-bruising skin on his hip and he straightened out again, face contorting in pain. But he couldn’t make a sound or it would only be worse. 

Skip pressed his bare body against Peter’s back, holding onto him. 

Anyone else would have called it cuddling but Peter didn’t want to consider it that. Cuddling was gentle and nice and enjoyable. Skip had defiled him and then wanted to act like he’d done something to deserve affection.

It wasn’t cuddling. It was silent time after sex where Peter fantasized about escaping as he tried to ignore the body behind him. 

Maybe one day it wouldn’t be only a fantasy. 

Because even with the awful situation, as dirty and worthless as he felt, he dared to have the barest hope that he could get out. 

And maybe...just maybe Tony would take him back eventually. But that wasn’t even something he dared to dream for yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope anyone doesn’t hate me too much 💕 part 3 (the last part) will be out soon 💕


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is! The third and final part of Secrets Kept 💕 I’m sorry everyone had to wait so long, but it’s here now! I hope everyone enjoys 💕

It wasn’t a good idea to ask Skip for things, Peter remembered quickly. 

It didn’t matter what he was asking for. He would either be met with fiery anger or a bargain that definitely wasn’t fair. Neither was good. 

But he was stuck in a circumstance where he had to ask for everything. It just didn’t go well. 

“Please, I want to see her. She’s probably worried about me, Skip.” Peter looked up at him. 

The blond rolled his eyes. “And why would she be worried? I don’t get why you can’t just call her and that’s that.” 

“Please? It’s been a week, I haven’t gone anywhere.” And he felt it. Being stuck with Skip almost 24/7 with no one else around was torture. His body ached from the continuous abuse it went through. 

Skip sighed dramatically, looking at the younger man. “And what do I get from it, hmm? You’re leaving me alone. That isn’t fair. Or nice.”

Peter kept from making a face. Nothing about his situation was fair or nice. But he couldn’t point that out if he really wanted to see May. “I’ll make it up to you, okay? I’ll….” his cheeks burned. “I’ll let you do the thing you were talking about yesterday. With the rope?” Like he had the authority to ‘let’ anything happen. 

Skip hummed, looking at him. “Sounds good...sweeten the deal just a little and I’ll let you go.” 

What else could he offer? He didn’t want to do any of it. “Um...I’ll….”

“I’ll help you: I’ll let you go if you go out with me to dinner tonight.” 

Peter’s stomach twisted. A date was bad enough. But he knew that couldn’t be it. “I can do that….”

“And you’ll blow me underneath the table,” Skip finished with a sick grin. “But I know you’ll like it. So I don’t even know why I’m offering this for my side of the deal.”

“Oh...yeah….” Peter felt sick at the thought. But he knew he had to take the deal and go before the man changed his mind. “I can do that. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” The older man grabbed his ass and pulled him closer, kissing him hard. “Whore. Using your body to get what you want.” 

His cheeks burned as he kissed back, ashamed even though he knew he didn’t have another choice. 

“I want to hear you say it. ‘I’m just a cheap whore.’”

Peter glanced away. “I’m just...a cheap whore.” 

“Good boy.” Skip slapped his ass before letting him go. “I’m giving you an hour, then you have to be back for dinner. Actually...I’ll drive you there and just wait for you.” He could make sure Peter didn’t go anywhere else. 

Peter nodded weakly. “Thank you. And I won’t take long. Then we can...go to dinner.”   
———  
Peter knew he needed to face May. He hadn’t seen her since the morning of the day he’d moved out without a word. He needed to see her. Take whatever lecturing he got. 

It was a miracle that Skip even let him go alone. The man kept a tight leash on Peter at all times, making sure he stayed quiet and obedient. But he was letting Peter go alone to see his aunt. Just to her apartment, at least. 

It was something. More than he’d gotten before. 

He knocked on her door before he could stop himself, heart beating quickly. He shouldn’t have been so nervous, she was his aunt. His family. 

He just felt like everyone he loved was against him. With good reason, of course. 

She opened the door, expression unreadable. Then she opened it more to let him in, stepping to the side. “Took you long enough,” she mumbled. 

Peter winced. “I’m sorry, I know. I just...yknow, settling in….”

“As far as I could tell you didn’t even take anything. How much settling in could you have done?” May looked at him, eyebrow raised as she sat down. 

He closed the door behind him, chewing his lip. “Can I change real quick?” He asked, ignoring what she had said. And he wanted to change clothes, get into something not tainted by Skip. 

“Sure, go ahead. I’ll be here when you’re done.”

Peter went to his old room, glancing around. It was completely unchanged, although it had only been a week or so since he’d moved out. It was still nice for familiarity, though. 

He stepped up to his closet, slowly reaching for a soft t-shirt before pausing. It was Tony’s. Did he really want to pour salt in that wound?

Apparently the answer was yes because he grabbed it and pulled it on anyways. 

His body was a mess, beaten up and left marked by Skip. So he didn’t look down as he changed, just getting the shirt on and trying to be comforted by it. 

It still had traces of the man’s cologne. A smell that was undeniably Tony. It made Peter’s heart ache. 

He finished changing into sweatpants and left the room, leaving his other clothes on the floor. He found May on the couch, shyly sitting next to her. “So….” he didn’t know what to say. 

The woman looked at him, taking in his outfit choice before shaking her head. “Tony visited me last week, yknow,” she commented. 

Peter froze. “He…he did? Why?”

“He was looking for you. Of course, you weren’t here.”

“Looking for me….” His brows furrowed. “Oh.”

“I talked to him for a while too,” May told him, watching his expression. “He seems pretty messed up over everything. I think he really misses you.” 

Peter’s face crumpled, a sigh leaving him. It all still hurt so badly, even though he knew he deserved it. But hearing that Tony missed him made it so much worse. “Oh.”

The woman watched him, sighing a little. “What happened with you two, Peter? I know I haven’t pressed the issue before, but...I feel like there’s something you need to tell me.” Tony had said as much. 

“Wh-what?” Peter’s stomach twisted. He didn’t want to tell her. Because he wouldn’t be able to only tell her part of it. And there was no way she could know all of it. 

“Peter, you’re a smart boy. Don’t play dumb with me. Why did you and Tony break up?”

He wrung his hands in his lap, not looking at his aunt. He couldn’t. “It’s not...it was just a fight….”

May pinched the bridge of her nose. “Don’t. You know that’s bullshit. Just tell me what happened.”

“Don’t make me,” Peter whispered, almost begging. He was terrified. He didn’t want her to completely hate him. And he knew that she would. 

She looked at him, eyebrow raised. “Peter,” she said, sounding exasperated. “Why are you making this so difficult? What could have possibly-“ 

“I cheated on him,” he blurted, covering his face. “Okay? That’s what happened. He found out and kicked me out. I deserved it.”

May looked stunned. She knew her Peter. He was loyal and loving and would never cheat on anyone. And she knew how much he loved Tony. She couldn’t believe that he’d really do such a thing. “What?” 

Peter’s bottom lip trembled as his eyes welled up with tears. “I’m sorry….” 

“I’m not the one you need to apologize to, Peter. But...I don’t understand. I saw how you looked at him. And heard how you talked about him. I just...how could this have happened?”

How could it have happened? Blackmail, assault, other nasty things. He squeezed his eyes shut and the tears fell down his cheeks as he thought about it. 

May watched him, slowly moving closer and putting her arms around him. “Don’t cry...hey, talk to me. Why the tears?” 

He only cried harder as she held him, both from the pain against his wounds and the emotional response. He moved close, burying his face against her shoulder. “I need help, May,” he sobbed. 

She frowned, holding him close. “It was one time, I’m sure you’re not-“

“No, I need help. I need...fuck,” he mumbled, whining. He couldn’t say any more. He couldn’t worry her. 

“What do you need help with, Peter? I’ll do whatever I can.” 

He was silent for a long moment. “You can’t...you can’t call anyone. You can’t tell anyone. I have to tell Tony first,” he whispered. 

“Okay….” That definitely made her nervous. 

“Skip hurt me for...for a long time. Since I was little,” he said quietly. “I met him at the library and...he was nice to me. I don’t know. He thought I was smart. He was my friend.” Peter chewed his lip hard. “But then he started...touching me? And I didn’t know what to do, May.” He got choked up again. 

May had tears in her eyes as she listened. Suddenly memories of secret friends and mystery injuries flooded back to her. “Peter….” 

“It went on for a while. Until high school.” Until he spent time with Tony, pushing Skip out of his life. “I didn’t want anyone to know. It makes me feel gross. And broken. So I didn’t want anyone to know. And I didn’t think it would matter. But he showed up to the tower one day with pictures. He’d taken...he’d taken pictures of when he hurt me before. He said he’d show Tony if I didn’t...give him what he wanted.” 

“So you did,” she said quietly. “And Tony just thinks you cheated?”

Peter sighed, rubbing his eyes. “Yeah. I really need to tell him. But I don’t know how, May. He hates me.” He moved to her again, resting his head against her shoulder and closing his eyes. 

“He doesn’t hate you. I don’t think it’s possible for him to ever hate you,” she told him softly. “I know you can make this right. And he’ll understand.” And probably murder Skip in the process. She was pretty close to that point herself. But her current priority was to comfort Peter. Her anger could come later. 

He took a shaky breath, hugging her close. “I need to go see Tony,” he said softly. “Dont I?”

Peter slowly sat up, chewing his lip. He couldn’t just leave the apartment. He knew that Skip had to have been tracking his phone. And he was waiting outside in the car. And he couldn’t have the other man know that he left. “Can I ask you a weird favor?” He asked weakly. 

May looked at him, nodding. She really wasn’t sure what he was going to say, but she was willing to do whatever he needed her to. He was her family. And some asshole had hurt him. She would do whatever she could to help him make things right. “Of course.”

“I need to leave my phone here. If Skip calls….” He frowned. “Actually, just let it go to voicemail.” He would definitely be paying for that later. But he really needed to see Tony. He didn’t even care. 

“Why do you have to leave your phone?” She asked, not understanding that part at all. 

Peter winced. “Um...he’s probably tracking it,” he mumbled. He knew it sounded awful. But she already knew just how terrible Skip was. The little details didn’t even matter. “And he’ll know if I leave here. He’d throw a fit if he knew I was going to Tony. So I just...want to avoid as much of that as possible.”

“Tracking? Peter, that doesn’t seem-“

“I know. Trust me...I know.” He sounded so defeated. “Just please. And if he comes up here, don’t let him in. Whatever you do.” He hugged her one more time before standing up. “I love you, May.”

“I love you too, Peter….”

He left off the fire escape attached to his old room, just to avoid Skip waiting outside. He didn’t want to get caught. He just needed to see Tony. 

Hearing May say that Tony missed him gave him hope. Maybe he could make things okay. If Tony would listen to him. 

He just needed to tell the truth.   
———  
Peter ran all the way to Stark Tower, adrenaline fueling his confidence. By the time he got there, however, he was shaky and incredibly scared about what he was there to do. 

He had to tell Tony everything. Starting at the very beginning. All of his dirty secret would be revealed. 

But he would finally be free. And Tony would understand. 

He stepped into the lobby, chewing his lip as he saw the receptionist. “Hey! Oh, I need help. I need to see Tony. But I doubt I’ll still be allowed upstairs. Can you help?”

She gave him an odd look. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen you around, Mr. Parker.” She glanced to her computer. “I’m sorry, I don’t know-“

“Peter?” 

Or maybe it would be easier than he thought. 

Peter turned around, heart pounding as he saw Tony. “Hey...I came to see you,” he said weakly. 

“I know. May called me to tell me as much.” The older man looked tired. He didn’t know how to react. Seeing Peter hurt so badly, reminding him of everything. But he’d missed him so much. “Why?”

“I really need to talk to you, Tony. I...I’m ready to tell the truth.”

His nose wrinkled slightly at that. He couldn’t help it. “The truth? Peter, you can’t fix-“

“Just- please, Tony. I promise you won’t regret it. Please,” he begged. 

Tony looked at him nervously. “Follow me….” he started walking to the elevator, gesturing for Peter to follow. “Alright.”

Peter smiled weakly. “Thank you.” Now for the actual hard part. 

The ride up was awkward and silent, neither of them sure what to say. It had been a while. And obviously there was a lot of tension. 

Peter really hoped his confession could fix some of it. He hated that he had hurt Tony. And while he couldn’t magically help that, he could at least let him know why everything happened. 

“Okay, go ahead,” Tony mumbled once they got out of the elevator. “Do...whatever you need to do.”

Peter looked around the living room, chest aching. He’d missed their home so much. Just being there...he wanted to be back so badly. 

Then he looked at Tony, mouth opening for a moment before closing again. He had no idea how to start. 

Instead of thinking through how to explain, he just let his brain take over. And he stripped his shirt off. 

“Hey, we’re not-“ Tony covered his eyes. 

Peter looked at him, dropping the shirt on the ground. His chest and torso was littered with marks. Dark, painful hickeys and bites, deep scratches, and large bruises marred his pale skin. “I don’t want him, Tony,” he whispered, breathing hard. 

He had no idea what he was doing. He didn’t know how to explain. So he just tried his best to tell his raw feelings. 

Tony slowly looked at him, face paling at the sight of his ex’s skin. “Jesus, Peter...what….” the words didn't quite click yet. “That looks awful, does it hurt?” He knew it took a lot of force to be able to bruise Peter because of his powers. Such abuse-

Shit. 

“I’m calling the police,” Tony mumbled, quickly moving to grab his phone.

“No, wait!” Peter sounded terrified at the idea. The police couldn’t get involved. Skip would kill him. 

Then he paused. Skip wouldn’t be able to do anything to him. He wasn’t anywhere near innocent. Skip wouldn’t be able to hurt him. Especially if they knew about the pictures too. 

“Tony, wait. Don’t call yet. There’s...there’s more.” 

The older man looked at him, looking horrified. “How could there be more? Peter, he’s abusing you.”

“It started when I was little,” he said suddenly. “Tony, he was ‘friends’ with me when I was little. And he...he hurt me. But I couldn’t tell anyone. So it didn’t stop.” 

He was amazed that he wasn’t crying. But he just felt numb, relaying the information of what had happened for so long for the second time that night. The words just spilled out as he tried to cleanse himself of it. 

“He took pictures of me when we…did stuff together. He did it for years. Until I was a teenager. Then he disappeared for a while.” He took a deep breath, eyes on the floor. He didn’t want to see the look of disgust he just knew would be waiting for him. “I didn’t think I’d ever see him again. But he showed up a couple months ago at the building. He had the pictures. Threatened to show you. So I had to….” he shivered, stomach turning. He felt so sick. 

“Peter….”

“I had to do whatever he wanted me to do. So he wouldn’t send you the pictures.” 

Tony surged forward, gathering the younger man in his arms quickly before he could say anything else. “Honey, I’m so sorry,” he whispered. He didn’t know what else to say. His feelings were all over the place. 

“Honey?” Peter asked weakly. That was only a nickname he got when they were together. He tried not to wince at the hug. He was thrilled to be held by Tony. But it really hurt, given his injuries. 

The older man slowly let go of him once he remembered, looking guilty. He didn’t want to hurt him. “Yeah...Peter, I’m so sorry. I had no idea.”

“It’s...I didn’t want you to know. I didn’t want you to hate me for being disgusting and...used,” Peter whispered, voice catching. 

“Oh, no. No, no, no, Peter. You are not disgusting. This wasn’t your fault, honey.” Tony looked at him. “Nothing he ever did to you was your fault.” 

Peter nodded weakly, but he wasn’t sure he believed it. It had happened for so long. It made him feel dirty. Contaminated. 

At least Tony didn’t hate him. 

“I’m going to call the police now, okay, honey? He won’t hurt you ever again,” Tony assured him, grabbing his phone and dialing the number. 

Peter nodded weakly before sitting on the floor, too tired to even make it to any of the furniture. Emotionally he was so strung out. He was sore and scared and exhausted. He wanted to be relieved about finally coming clean and telling Tony everything. But he was too tired to feel good about any of it yet. 

He vaguely heard Tony on the phone, but didn’t really take in any of the words. His eyelids were heavy, slipping shut. 

He hadn’t slept well since being with Skip. He was too afraid of being hurt and not being awake for it. And he didn’t want to be asleep and vulnerable around the man anyways. 

Finally being around Tony made him feel safe enough to sleep. 

He drifted in and out of sleep as he stayed there, sitting on the floor. Then he made a surprised noise when gentle arms suddenly began picking him up. 

“It’s okay,” Tony whispered, holding him carefully and carrying him to the bedroom. “They’re going to get him. You’re going to be okay.” 

Peter snuggled close, nodding a little. “I love you, Tony,” he mumbled. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you everything before.”

Tony kissed his temple gently. “Don’t be sorry. I get it. And I love you too.” He set Peter down on the bed, helping him get underneath the covers. “I have a couple more calls to make really quick. But I wanted to make sure you were comfortable first.” 

He nodded sleepily. “Will you come here when you’re done?” He yawned. 

“I will,” Tony assured him. “If that’s what you want.”

“Want that so bad,” Peter mumbled, curling up as he got comfortable. “Missed you.” 

“I missed you too, honey. But we’re here now. Nothing to miss.”

“Yeah,” the younger man agreed, eyes slipping shut again. “Goodnight, Tones.” 

“Goodnight, Peter. Sleep well. I’ll make things right.” 

Peter nodded weakly before falling asleep again, more at peace then he had been in months. 

Tony came to bed a while after, tired and emotionally distraught from the nature of the calls he had to make. His last call was to May, just to make sure that she didn’t worry. He let her know what was going on. And he told her that Peter was staying the night. 

He knew she didn’t like him that much but he could have sworn he heard the smile in her voice when she told him goodnight. 

Then it was all done. No more calls for the night, nothing more to deal with. Everything else could wait until morning. 

Because he was tired. And because he finally had Peter back. 

He snuggled close to his love, smiling at how Peter instantly moved to meet him. The other man was still fast asleep, but he knew he wanted to be closer. It was what he always did. 

Tony had missed it so much. He’d missed every little thing that Peter did.

But he didn’t have to miss him any more. Because he was home.   
———  
Peter woke up the next morning well rested. Something he hadn’t had in a while. 

He smiled a little as he realized who he was with, snuggling up closer to Tony. And this time it wasn’t a dream. 

He was really free. He had Tony back. 

He was happy to sit in the silence, waiting for the other man to wake up on his own. There was no reason to force him to get up. 

When Tony did eventually wake up, it was with a smile. His eyes opened slowly, full of love as he gazed at Peter. “I missed waking up like this,” he murmured. 

“Me too,” Peter agreed. He snuggled close, closing his eyes again. “I guess...we’re going to have to do stuff, huh?”

“It’s probably gonna be a busy day,” Tony agreed with a whisper. He yawned, still waking up as he tried to think about what all they’d have to do. “I’ll try to handle as much as I can, but you’ll probably be looked to for a lot of it since you’re the...the victim.”

The younger man whined softly, burying his face in the other man’s chest. “Oh.” He still couldn’t believe he’d finally told someone. And it was finally being fixed after all those years. 

“But we have your word. And you’ll probably get a kit done to assess the damage and confirm it’s from him. And….” Peter probably wouldn’t want to hear the next part, but he figured it was important. “The cops have possession of the pictures. And I’m supposed to call for a follow up to see if they found anything else.” 

Peter whined again, squeezing his eyes shut. “I just want to stay here. Forget about all of it and cuddle all day.” 

Tony smiled weakly, watching him. “I know. I’m sorry. But I promise we can have a nice, relaxing time as soon as all of this is handled. We can even go on vacation if you want.”

He was willing to do anything to make Peter happy. He felt horrible about everything that had happened to him. And he felt even worse about kicking him out and leaving him to Skip for so long. He knew that no amount of money would bring the time back or fix the hurt, but he could certainly try. 

“Hmm. Maybe vacation would be nice,” Peter mused. “Just you and me. Together.” 

“Yeah. We can do whatever you want, honey. As soon as all of this is taken care of, okay?”

He sighed again. “Yeah. As soon as it’s all over.” It didn’t feel like it would ever be over. But maybe that was just because he’d been dealing with it up close lately. Maybe it wouldn’t feel so bad looking at it from a distance. 

He wasn’t sure. 

Tony nodded a little. “I guess I should go ahead and get up. Do the follow up, get dressed.” He wanted to tell Peter to just relax, stay in bed. But he knew that wasn’t an option if they needed to do a rape kit. 

“I’ll, um...I’ll get up too. Do you have something I could wear?” 

“Of course, Pete. Just grab whatever you want from the closet, pick something comfortable,” Tony said gently. 

Peter slowly got up, yawning. He wandered to Tony’s closet, as he had done a million times before, and started looking. 

He settled on a well-worn band tee and an old pair of jeans that would hang loose on him. Then he got dressed slowly, trying to stay somewhat relaxed by not focusing on what the day would hold. 

Tony came in a few minutes later, wrapping his arms around him from behind. “I’m gonna get a shower. Then we can head out, okay? You know where to find me if you need anything.”

Peter nodded, smiling a little. “Okay. I’ll probably just...sit in the living room. Turn something on to watch.” 

“Sounds good, honey. Just relax.” Tony kissed his cheek before walking out again to the bathroom. 

The younger man smiled a little, walking to the living room and sitting down. 

First things first, he needed to call May….  
———  
When Skip snuck back into Peter’s life, he had been terrified. 

It felt like nothing would ever be right again. 

He went through every day hurting. He missed Tony and spent his time stuck with someone who’s only goal was to use and harm him. 

But all it took to get out was getting help. Telling the people he loved what was going on. They didn’t hate him and were willing to help make things okay again. 

And he was finally free.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me on tumblr at spidey-sins for more content!

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on tumblr at spidey-sins for more content!


End file.
